Nagpur, Aug 23 (PTI) Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Sunday asserted that the power of India’s democracy and Constitution, and the strength of the country’s youth, enabled an ordinary individual like him, who never imagined becoming a municipal corporator, to rise to the state’s highest office.
During a Q&A session at the “Manthan 4 Yuva” programme for Gen Z in Nagpur, the chief minister assures all support to the youth, saying the government has prepared a policy for the startup ecosystem, set up funds, created incubation centres, and is now decentralising them.
Asked about youth also showing interest in politics and how one can become a chief minister, Fadnavis said, “It isn’t easy; our Constitution has given democracy in this country. The beauty of this democracy is that someone like Devendra Fadnavis, who might never even have imagined becoming a corporator, reached the post of chief minister, or the boy who sold tea at a railway station in Gujarat became the country’s Prime Minister.” It is the power of India’s Constitution, the strength of India’s democracy, and that is the strength of the country’s youth, he said.
“When I entered politics, I did so inspired only by ideas. At that time, with the ideas I had and the party I worked in, it didn’t seem like power would ever come. We used to think we were born to do politics as the Opposition. We used to stage movements every day. We used to fight daily. But somehow the public showed faith, and step by step, climbing one rung at a time, one day I got the responsibility of being Maharashtra’s chief minister,” he said.
Politics is an instrument for socio-economic change, he said.
The chief minister recalled his battles, including spending 18 days in Badaun central jail at age 20 during the Ram Janmabhoomi movement.
“I went to Prayagraj from there I went toward Ayodhya. That was one of the first times I saw how speeches and rhetoric work. We were fired on, beaten with sticks, and arrested. At 20, I spent 18 days in the central jail at Badaun. I returned and then went back to the movement. And when the Babri Masjid structure was demolished in 1992, I was there. I am very proud of that,” he said.
Asked about measures taken to nurture startups in the state, Fadnavis said the government prepared a good policy for the startup ecosystem, set up funds, created incubation centres, and is now decentralising them.
“Any child from a tier-3 city who has an idea and wants to transform it into a commercial product will get full help and 100 per cent support,” he assured.
To a query whether the government will frame a policy to reduce screentime for children, Fadnavis said there was a need to reduce screen time, and there should be deliberations on this.
“Being on screen isn’t entirely wrong. As you know, our economy is growing, and content creators are building a large economy and creating livelihoods. But there has to be a balance,” he said. PTI CLS ARU
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